


Snapshot of a Day in the Sun

by ardett



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Magic, Magical Artifacts, Slice of Life, idk I wrote this so long ago I don't remember anymore, platonic or romantic you chose
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-06
Updated: 2018-05-06
Packaged: 2021-03-19 11:48:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29874204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ardett/pseuds/ardett
Summary: Natsu and Lucy spend the day together.
Relationships: Natsu Dragneel & Lucy Heartfilia
Kudos: 2





	Snapshot of a Day in the Sun

**Author's Note:**

> written for [Never Ending Journey: a NaLu zine](https://naluzine.tumblr.com/) :)
> 
> cute project, never got around to posting this though
> 
> posting lots of my backdated works so I can finally start using archive as an archive
> 
> posted: March 6th, 2021

“All I need is a new lacrima for my apartment and then we can go. It shouldn’t take long at all. Hey, are you listening to me? Natsu!” Lucy glances back, eyebrow raised.

“Eh, totally.” Natsu walks a few steps behind her, arms slung behind his head. “I’m not doing anything else today. I have all the time in the world.”

“Didn’t you tell Gray you would buy him dinner after you lost that bet?” Happy chimes in as he dips closer to the pair.

“Oh yeah…” Natsu’s face sours but almost immediately lightens again. “But that’s not important.”

“Mmhm, I’ll be sure to tell Gray that,” Lucy flips her hair over her shoulder as she turns back around. “and maybe I’ll let Erza know that you’re going back on your promises.”

“No way, you wouldn’t do that! You don’t want me to die, do you? I’ll… I’ll be dead! Lucy!” Natsu jogs in front of Lucy in order to face her. He brings his hands together in a pleading gesture. “Come on, Luce! You don’t really want me dead, right?”

Lucy covers her mouth with her hand to hide her laugh as people throw disgruntled looks at Natsu as he walks backwards. “Maybe if you’re on your best behavior today. It’s right over here.” She grabs Natsu’s wrist to tug him out of the street’s busy flow and towards the magic shop.

“Now,” Lucy pauses with her hand on the door handle. “Don’t touch anything, okay? Magic shops are great for getting supplies, but some of the stuff can be cursed, or incorrectly labeled. It’s best not to mess around with any of it. You too, Happy.”

“Me? Come on, Lucy, I’m responsible. It’s always Natsu’s fault, not mine!”

“Hey!”

Lucy ignores them and shuffles them both inside.

The interior of the magic shop mirrors Magnolia itself; bustling, thriving, and full of magic. Rows of shelves extend towards the back wall, each overflowing with objects that got increasingly more odd, the further back they went. One shelf houses books, most with straight spines and clearly inked titles. Farther up, the books grow older and more weathered until it looks like the books are growing out of the shelves themselves. Another shelf has bubbling jars of glitter, and as Natsu stares, he thinks he sees a flash of teeth in the sparkle. One whole wall is full of hanging plants, arranged not by species, but by the colors of the rainbow. There’s a base chatter in the shop, the comforting murmur of other people, but not in a language Natsu understands. When he peers around the shelves to find the source, he sees no one.

“Ah, perfect!” Natsu jumps and the bodiless voices giggle behind him. Lucy makes her way to the back of the shop where the plaster wall melts into black stone to form a hollowed out cavern. Lacrimas sprout from rocky cravasses, their glow turning Lucy’s hair purple and green.

“I’ll be right back.” Lucy states, then disappears into the cave with Happy trailing behind her.

“Hey, wait up!” Natsu goes to follow her but a floorboard creaks under his foot, and he glances down only to have a miniature volcano spit blue powder into his face. “What the-” The colors of the world are inverted. Natsu stumbles backwards, trying to rub the dust out of his eyes as black turns to white, and red turns to blue.

He throws out a hand to catch himself on a shelf and he goes right through it, landing on the floor with a thud. The shelf flickers like a hologram and reappears a few feet away. Natsu gives it an incredulous look as colors begin to slip back into their proper shades. Finally, he shakes his head and gets to his feet.

Something tinkles under his sandal and Natsu peeks down, carefully this time, with one eye. There’s no explosion this time, only a small silver key incongruously resting on the floorboards. It shines in the dim light, embellished with two crossed arrows and dotted with stars. When Natsu picks it up, a faint magical power emanates through his palm.

“Natsu, where are you?” Happy calls.

“Right over here!” Natsu comes out from behind the shelf as Lucy and Happy exit the cave. Lucy is holding a decent-sized lacrima and looks highly pleased with herself. When she sees Natsu though, she stops, and her eyes widen.

“Is that what I think it is?”

“Hm? Oh yeah!” Natsu grins. “I think I found one of your keys, Luce! Pretty great, right?”

“Wow, I thought I cleared this place of keys ages ago.” Lucy sets her lacrima on the floor and takes the key from Natsu. “They wouldn’t have gotten a new order without telling me. Where did you find it?”

Natsu splutters for a moment, but Lucy isn’t paying much attention anyway. Her eyes are locked on the gleaming key, full of excitement. “Let’s check out, I want to make a contract as soon as possible.”

Back in Lucy’s apartment, the new lacrima glows merrily on a desk. Natsu and Happy steal seats on the couch, ignoring Lucy when she scolds them for putting their feet on her table, as she clears a small space in the middle of the room.

“Alright, here we go.” Lucy pulls the key out of her pocket, and breathes deeply. The blonde strands of her hair twist as if in a breeze as she begins her summoning spell.

**“I am the one who creates paths to the celestial spirit world. You must answer and pass through your gate. Open, gate of The Hunter... Orion!”**

A bright keyhole flares into existence and a decorated male steps out. His eyes are lined in gold, as are the beds of his nails. His joints also appear to have the same golden hue when bent just so. Arrows protrude from his toga along the ridge of his back, like the spines of a porcupine, and a row of knives glints at his belt. His skin, however, is the most shocking. It seems to be a living map, full of rolling hills and a roiling ocean with dotted lines that plot themselves up his arms, and legs. The paths are ever changing their course, winding across elbows and kneecaps alike.

“My newest master, let me say it is my pleasure- Oh.” The celestial spirit is mid-bow when his expression turns sullen. “Lucy Heartfilia.”

Lucy blinks. “Um, yes. Is that a problem?” Behind her, Natsu and Happy smother snickers. Lucy throws them a glare before focusing back on the spirit.

“Well, no. My problem isn’t with you.” Orion straightens. “I take issue with someone in your care. That… Scorpion.”

“Scorpion? You mean Scorpio?”

Orion huffs and throws his head back. “Don’t speak his slanderous name in my presence! He’s… He’s a… A ruffian, yes, a ruffian!”

Natsu’s laughter bubbles over. “A… A ruffian! Oh man, who even-” Natsu chokes out between chuckles, “Who calls people ruffians?”

“Natsu! Don’t be rude!” Lucy hisses.

“Well that’s precisely what he is!” Orion turns on his heel. “I was Aquarius’s best suitor by far! Handsome, talented, an excellent tracker, and I possess an extensive knowledge of edible plants; what didn’t I have? But no!” He throws his hands in the air and the lines on his mapped skin whip across his knuckles. “That scorpion steals her right out of my arms! Swept her right off her tail with his rebellious attitude and terrible fashion choices! The… The injustice!”

“I don’t know what to tell you, man,” Natsu begins. “The mermaid lady-”

“Aquarius,” Lucy corrects, hand pinching at her nose.

“-she was probably too scaly for you anyway.”

“She was just the right amount of scaly for me.” Orion bemoans.

Natsu dissolves into cackles as Lucy hides her face in her hands.

“If we can just put that behind us for now,” Lucy interjects as Natsu opens his mouth for another retort. “Orion, I’d love to make a contract with you, if you’re willing. Of course, I’d never force you if you really can’t stand-”

“Oh no, I absolutely want you as my master, dear Lucy! We hear great things about you in the spirit realm. You’re practically a legend!”

“I’m glad to hear that.” Lucy’s cheeks redden. “So are you free on-”

Orion waves a hand. “I’m always free. Such is the life of a single man.” He looks wistfully skyward for a moment before turning back to Lucy. “Though I do ask that you don’t bring me out with that scorpion ruffian, and if fate smiles upon me, call me when you call Aquarius. Perhaps I still have a chance to impress her.”

“No problem at all, and… Ah well, I’ll try my best for the second demand. Welcome to our team, Orion.” They shake hands and soft sparks whisper between their fingers.

“It’s my honor,” Orion says as he fades away.

There’s still a proud twinkle in Lucy’s eyes as she turns and says, “Thanks for sticking around, you two. You really didn’t have to. I know we’ve been doing things on my list all day.”

“It’s not like we had anything else to do. It’s so much more boring without you anyway.” Natsu grins. “It’s always more fun when we’re together.”

“Aye sir!”

Summer’s breath is warm against the glass window panes. Clouds drift lazily over the busy streets of Magnolia, and in the distance, Fairy Tail’s flag flutters in the wind. The sunlight catches on bits of dandelion fluff, illuminating the seeds as they bob about like excitable fairies. A feeling swells in Lucy’s chest, a certainty that these days will last forever.

“Yeah.” Lucy smiles, and it is like the birth of a star. “It is more fun when we’re together.”


End file.
